Households hoping to buy the PlayStation 6 (PS6) when it launches are being warned the console could cost up to £1,000. However, industry analysts suggest the device might arrive without a disc drive, which could help keep the price below that hefty threshold.
Speaking to Trusted Reviews, industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls said that a disc-free, fully digital console could help Sony keep the PS6 under the dreaded one thousand mark. He believes Sony could use the “higher revenue” generated by digital game sales and PlayStation Plus subscriptions to “subsidise the hardware”. The expert warns that a PS6 costing £1,000 or more would “significantly restrict its potential audience”.
Component costs and AI demand
The article also notes that the next console is expected to face higher component costs. In particular, memory and storage are likely to be affected by demand from AI data centres, which could push up manufacturing expenses.
Sony’s CEO Hiroki Totoki has reiterated that the PlayStation 6’s launch date remains undecided. He confirmed the ongoing delay during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, in which journalist Jason Douglas writes: “Totoki said the company still hasn’t fixed a date for PS6’s launch.”
Potential launch delay to 2028 or 2029
It was widely believed that Sony was initially eyeing a 2027 launch for the PS6. However, it was reported in February that the tech giant is “considering” pushing the launch back until 2028 or 2029. According to a report by Bloomberg, the potential delay could be necessary because of a shortage of memory chips. “That would be a major upset to a carefully orchestrated strategy to sustain user engagement between hardware generations,” the report noted.
Sony’s pricing stance
In a Q+A with investors back in June, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino was asked if the company would “continue to prioritise profitability of the hardware” for the PlayStation 6. He replied: “As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses. At the same time, we are carefully monitoring the market and continuing to evaluate our approach. We believe it is important for us to make every effort to ensure that customers fully understand the value we provide in relation to pricing.”
The combination of rising component costs, a possible disc-free design, and Sony’s stated approach to hardware pricing leaves the final PS6 price uncertain. Consumers will have to wait for an official announcement, but the £1,000 figure remains a real possibility.
